Suzan eraslan has been a podcaster, dj, theater maker,and freelance beverage writer, currently working full time in non-alcoholic wine and spirits

How to vote by mail or vote early in Pennsylvania

How to vote by mail or vote early in Pennsylvania

Suzan Eraslan

How to vote by mail or vote early in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania requires that you are already registered to vote in order to request an absentee or mail-in ballot. To check your voter registration in Pennsylvania, visit https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx

Voting by Mail

Step 1: Determine if you need a mail-in ballot or an absentee ballot

There is a difference in PA!

  • Any registered Pennsylvania voter can request a mail-in ballot

  • Absentee ballots are specifically for:

    • College students who are not registered to vote at their school address

    • People whose work or vacation take them away from the municipality where they live

    • Those with a physical disability or illness that prevents them from going to the polling place

    • Members of the Military— go here for more info if that applies to you: https://www.votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Military-and-Overseas-Voters.aspx

    • People who may have a conflict due to the celebration of a religious holiday

    • Inmates who haven't been convicted of a felony

There are 5 ways to get a mail-in ballot application (for ANY registered Pennsylvania voter):

There are 5 ways to get an absentee ballot application (for ANY registered Pennsylvania voter):

FOR ALL BALLOT APPLICATIONS, YOU MUST:

  • Print, sign the ballot application BY HAND (no digital signatures!), and date it

  • Supply your PA Driver’s License or PennDOT issued photo ID card number in the Identification section

  • If you do not have a PA Driver’s License or PennDOT issued photo ID card, you must supply the last four (4) digits of your Social Security number

  • If you do not have a valid form of either of these types of identification, please check the box titled “I do not have a PA driver’s license or a PennDOT ID card or a Social Security number” in the Identification section and enclose a CLEAR photocopy of an acceptable ID. For a list of acceptable Pennsylvania voter ID, vist https://www.votespa.com/Register-to-Vote/Pages/Voter-ID-for-First-Time-Voters.aspx

  • Be sure to include your email address so you can be contacted about the status of your ballot!

You must already be registered to receive a Pennsylvania absentee ballot by mail.

Step 2: Return your mail-in or absentee ballot application

Once you've completed your Pennsylvania ballot application form, you have 2 options for returning it to your county election official’s office:

  1. Mail it

  2. Drop it off in person

You can find your county election official by selecting your county from the drop down menu here: https://www.votespa.com/Resources/Pages/Contact-Your-Election-Officials.aspx

Mail-in and absentee ballot applications must be RECEIVED (not just postmarked!) by your county election office by 5:00 PM on October 27th!

Step 3: Vote and return your ballot

Carefully read and follow the instructions for completing the ballot. Mistakes may prevent your votes from being counted!

  1. Mark your ballot, following the instructions.

  2. Place your ballot in the secrecy envelope and then put the secrecy envelope into the official envelope. Be sure to sign the declaration, or your ballot may not count.

  3. Return your ballot so it arrives at the county elections office on time. VOTED BALLOTS must be RECEIVED by your county election office (not just postmarked!) by 8:00 PM on November 3rd.

You have 2 options for returning your Pennsylvania absentee ballot:

  1. Mail it to your county election official’s office. You can find your county election official by selecting your county from the drop down menu here: https://www.votespa.com/Resources/Pages/Contact-Your-Election-Officials.aspx Pennsylvania pays for postage on your return envelope, but triple check it just to be sure!

  2. Drop it to your county election official’s office. Make sure to call ahead to find out when the office closes— some offices may close BEFORE the polls on November 3rd, so bring it in early! You can find your county election official by selecting your county from the drop down menu here: https://www.votespa.com/Resources/Pages/Contact-Your-Election-Officials.aspx

Early voting

The ONLY way to vote early in Pennsylvania is by mail-in or absentee ballot (so see above, if you haven’t already!)

For more information on voting in Pennsylvania, including voter registration, visit https://www.pa.gov/guides/voting-and-elections/

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